Movie, TV reps headed to White House to talk guns with Biden

The chiefs of several key movie and television industry trade groups are scheduled to meet with Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday to discuss possible measures they can take to help curb gun violence in entertainment in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting.

The White House guest list includes former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd of the Motion Picture Association of America; National Cable Television Association CEO and former FCC Chairman Michael Powell; Comcast lobbyist David Cohen; National Association of Theatre Owners CEO John Fithian; Directors Guild of America Executive Director Jay Roth; and National Association of Broadcasters CEO Gordon Smith, a former GOP senator from Oregon.

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Biden was tasked by President Barack Obama to lead an effort to examine factors leading to gun violence in America, prompted by the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., last month. On Thursday, Biden also is expected to meet with representatives of the National Rifle Association.

Only Rob Stoddard from the NCTA responded to requests from POLITICO to confirm his group's participation. He also confirmed the expected attendance of Dodd and Smith. The meeting will be at 6 p.m.

The Entertainment Software Association, which lobbies for the video game industry, is not a part of Thursday’s meeting but will get an audience with the vice president on Friday at 2:15 p.m., when Biden meets with the group and other members of “the video-gaming community.” That industry has been singled out by many, including NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, as culpable for encouraging and desensitizing young Americans on gun violence. The gaming meeting was going to be combined with the entertainment-industry gathering, but the sessions were split after so many groups were interested in attending, an administration official said.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 10:00 p.m. on January 9, 2013.

CORRECTION: The name of the lobby for the video game industry was incorrectly reported in an earlier version of this story. It is the Entertainment Software Association.

Readers' Comments (5)

The # 1 box office hit this week is "Texas Chainsaw 5 in 3D". Movie violence and video violence should be rated X. The media is now using the military's Pavlovian conditioning that increases the rate of killing. The FBI as just reported that hammers are used in almost twice the number of murders than a rifle. Biden, that owns Berettas, has not once mentioned the words "HAMMER VIOLENCE". Hammers, rocks, fire, knives, and toilet seats can be used to cause harm.

More window dressing. Biden isn't going to propose legislation that would be detrimental to himself or his liberal friends.

Promoting extramarital sex in movies and TV shows is probably more relevant to murder statistics than showing violent scenes in the same media. Broken homes, alcohol abuse, antidepressant drug use, Bible lessons banned from schools, and the widening income inequality gap are more a causation of the increasingly immoral society that we live in that is causing more incidents of murders (and other crimes). Gun control is just a knee-jerk reaction and doesn't strike at the root causes. It's like treating a symptom but not treating the disease.

How about rapes? There are way more forcible rapes in the USA than murders. In 1960, the U.S. population was 179,323,175 people and there were 9,110 murders and 17,190 forcible rapes reported. In 2011, the U.S. population was 311,591,917 people and there were 14,612 murders and 83,425 forcible rapes reported. That is a 74% increase in population, a 60% increase in murders, and a 385% increase in forcible rapes. Now, almost 6 times as many rapes as there are murders.

How about teachers (and other positions of authority) having sex with underage students? That was unheard of 50 years ago, most especially for female teachers. Now, it's like every couple of weeks there is a new case. It's ironic how the democrats don't want to tackle this issue when this is happening way more than school shootings. Democrats even say "so what" to having these sexual predators in positions of authority. Hypocritical double standards when it comes to "protecting our children".

Lawful gun ownership isn't the problem. It's the societal immorality that these DC politicians led the way in creating. To them, it's like protect the seven deadly sins by going after a scapegoat or a red herring.

Glory hallelujah! Theocratic tyranny for America! The Christian Taliban of the deep south will rise again! No more gambling, smoking, drinking, running around naked and fornicating! Women will again be submissive to their husbands and all men! We can burn crosses and teach our children God's glory of creationism! Tammy Faye will be resurrected and save our souls!

Reminds me of grandpa and our rural Oklahoma farm. I am a young girl, we don't have electricity just yet. Grandpa is inventive, out in our front room grandpa has a tiny car radio sitting on a wood crate and to one side, a 6 volt car battery. Every Sunday afternoon, after slopping our hogs and feeding our mules, we kids have to sit in straight back chairs in our front room and listen to a fire and brimstone preacher man out of Del Rio, Texas. Boy howdy can that boy scream and holler, "Y'all are going straight to Hades for your sins! You will eternally burn in God's righteous fires of Hell!"

I'm getting close to becoming a grown woman, shoot, I'm eight or nine years old. I decide I can talk like an adult. We are listening, I poke at a cousin, tell him, "That preacher boy is full of crap." Oh boy, grandpa swivels right around and asks, "What did you say, girl?" We never lie to our elders, I tell him. Sure enough, he hauls me outside and gives me a stinging bare butt switching. From then on I only speak in my native Choctaw tongue when I have something to say about all that preaching.

My curiosity gets the best of me a few Sundays later. Early morning I sneak up to Eagletown a few miles north of our farm, I sneak up there then walk right on up Church House Hill to a good white painted church where white folks pray every Sunday. My uncle tells me, "Those folks sow wild oats on Saturday night, and pray for crop failure on Sunday." I check myself, I know to show respect, my overalls are clean, I did hand laundry just yesterday. My white shirt only has one elbow patch but I have no shoes. I walk right on in.

There are only a few fancy dressed people in there milling around, talking in whispers for some reason. I suppose God makes people whisper at each other. Too early for services. Preacher there is Ray with some odd French last name I can't say. Here he comes walking down the middle of his church like Jesus coming. Black shirt, black pants, black shiny shoes, some purple colored sash thing draped around his neck, "What can I do for you young lady?" Tell him, "I'm here to listen to you preach!" About this time an old gray haired stern looking white woman comes over, her damn purse is the of saddle bags. She whispers in Ray's ear. He looks at me, looks me over, says, "Girl, you are not allowed in here, you are an Indian."

Last year I was thrown out of a cafe because I refused to sit in the "COLORED" section. I understand why I have to leave. I keep my mouth shut, turn and leave then promptly walk around back of this church and sit to listen to this preacher man teach all those good white folks about those loving words of God.

Total Recall, is this what you truly want to bring back to our America?

What does buddies Biden and Chris Dodd passing gas in an elevator have in common with Barack Obama attempting to take away the rights of American citizens? .......... ((((( BOTH SMELL ON SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS )))))